Chapter 26 #3
“I’ll help you up,” Grayson finally says, and lifts me by the waist until I’m able to crawl to the mattress.
“Good thing I wore a long skirt today, huh?”
He scoffs. “That may be good for you, but me, on the other hand…”
I wiggle my finger at him once I’m sitting on the mattress.
“No funny business tonight. We’re just people getting to know each other—holy shit, look at the stars!
” My jaw drops at the glittery sky. I’m so distracted by it, I hardly feel Grayson getting comfortable on the other side of the bed. “My God, they’re amazing.”
“That’s one of the reasons I brought you here.”
I manage to tear my eyes away from the night sky, and we look at each other briefly.
Grayson clears his throat. “You hungry?”
“Famished.”
“Good, because you’re about to try my cooking for the first time.”
“Tennessee Whiskey” by Chris Stapleton plays from a small Bluetooth speaker as I sway to the song, savoring one of the mini quiches Grayson made. I look down at my nearly empty bowl of creamy lemon orzo with shaved truffles and take the last bite.
“Can I top off your glass?” Grayson raises the bottle of sparkling cider he brought, and I hold up my plastic flute, giggling.
He smiles broadly. “What’s so funny?”
“I can’t believe you didn’t bring wine.”
Grayson shrugs and finishes pouring my drink. “I thought it’d be nice for us to be completely sober for once.”
My drink spills out of my mouth as the realization hits me. “Oh my God.” I laugh. “We’ve never hung out sober.”
He grabs a wad of napkins and wipes my mouth, a small gesture that makes me feel something I shouldn’t. “Nope, not off school grounds.”
“Huh.” I take a sip of the cider and place it next to the mattress on the trunk’s floor. “I can honestly and soberly say that you are an amazing cook, Professor Hayes. You really went all out.”
“I know, but this isn’t me going all out.” He grins and looks ahead, taking a sip of his drink.
“You’re such a dickhead.”
Now he chokes on the cider, but I don’t bother to help him clean up. “Dickhead?”
“You heard me.”
He hisses. “That’s harsh, even for you, Princess.”
We laugh softly. “So, this isn’t your move?” I repeat the question from months ago.
Grayson side-eyes me as he swallows. “A late-night picnic in the back of my brand-new pickup truck? No.”
Frowning, I open my mouth to ask him what his move is when he leans over to the cooler and takes out a container, opening it where six strawberries lie.
“Chocolate-covered strawberries?” He offers.
My mouth waters. I’m already full from dinner, but there’s always room for dessert.
“Don’t mind if I do.” I take one of the strawberries and stuff the entire thing in my mouth, except for the crown, and moan at the taste. “I love strawberries. It’s my favorite fruit and ice cream flavor.”
Grayson groans as he takes a strawberry of his own. “Don’t moan like that again.”
My head snaps toward him. “Excuse me—”
“Your favorite flavor of ice cream being strawberry makes a lot of sense to me,” he interrupts, and I merely stare at him.
He gives me a try me look, daring me to bring up the subject again, knowing it’ll lead to certain…
things. Narrowing my eyes, I extend my hand for another one as Grayson leans over, finishing his own.
“You got a little chocolate…” His hand moves to the corner of my mouth, and I take a sharp inhale at his sudden proximity… “Right there.”
His thumb brushes the chocolate away, and our eyes lock. Both of us open our mouths and lean in, while his thumb never stops caressing—
“Wait.” I put a hand on his chest.
His eyebrows turn inward. “What is it?”
I narrow my eyes at him. “This is your move, isn’t it?”
Grayson looks confused for a moment, then a shit-eating grin spreads across his face. Shoving him back, I yell, “Dickhead!”
His chuckle echoes in the night. “It’s the second time you asked, and the strawberries gave me the perfect opening.” He stuffs one into his mouth and talks, his voice slightly muffled. “I wasn’t going to do it, not with you.”
Shaking my head, I huff out a laugh. “I’m not one to judge.”
Grayson swallows and tilts his head. “What does that mean?” Biting my lip, I feel giddy at the fact that I’ve never told anyone this before. His eyes widen. “You have a move?” I nod, and he scoffs. “After all that shit you gave me.”
Shrugging, I take another strawberry. “I never had to use it on you, and I don’t really date.”
“I find that hard to believe.”
Tipping my head back, I switch the subject, not wanting to talk about my past dating life when there isn’t much to tell. “I have a favor to ask you.”
He sets the container aside and leans against the pillows. “Uh-oh.”
I shove him. “It’s a good one.”
“Hit me.”
Biting my lip, I take in his youthful glow that seems to have sparked alive tonight.
“Two of my best friends are hounding me about going to the soup kitchen to volunteer next weekend. Would you mind if they, along with Jake, tagged along as volunteers?” I put my hands under my face and make puppy dog eyes. “Please?”
Grayson runs a hand through his hair, adjusting his glasses. “You know that we have more than enough volunteers, right?”
I feign a gasp. “You can never have too many people willing to help our community.”
He snorts. “Fine, but they have to stick to serving and cleaning.”
“And you’ll allow me to take a couple of pictures for the article?”
He sneers. I know he hates having his picture taken, but he already said yes through a text. “As long as you help with the cleanup, then yes.”
My hand flies to my forehead in a salute. “Yes, sir.”
Grayson lifts himself up in a heartbeat and pulls me down next to him. I squeal in surprise as he brings me to his side. He lightly pinches my waist in an attempt to tickle me, but I don’t budge.
Giving him a half smile, I say, “I’m not ticklish.”
His jaw drops. “There’s no way.”
“It’s true. That’s one fun fact about me.”
“Oh yeah?” He unwraps his arm from around my shoulders, and I instantly feel cold. “Tell me more.”
“More fun facts?” Grayson just smiles and nods. I look up at the starry sky, trying to think of the most interesting things about myself. “I’m warning you now that some of these might sound like I’m bragging, but they’re the only facts I can think of.”
He dips his chin. “Consider me warned.”
“Okay.” Taking a deep breath, I stick my hand out, ready to count the facts on each finger. “I used to make my own jewelry when I was a kid.” I flip my thumb out.
“That’s cool.”
“The first book that ever made me fall in love with literature was The Little Prince, but my favorite novels are Pride and Prejudice, The Great Gatsby, and The Princess Bride, as you already know.”
“I’m ashamed to admit I’ve only seen the movies.”
“I’ll lend you one of my copies,” I say absentmindedly, trying to think of other things to say. “Oh! My not-so-secret dream, that’ll probably never happen, is to open a bookstore that has drinks—”
“I think those already exist.”
Narrowing my eyes, I tell him, “If you’d let me finish.
” He raises his hands in surrender. “That has drinks like cocktails and wine, so it’d only be for people over twenty-one, and it’d also stay open late, maybe have some movie nights once a week.
A friendly, fun, and peaceful place. Most of the bookstores and cafés in the city are either too small, too commercial, or always full.
I’d love to sit, have a glass of wine, and read or write. ”
When I swivel my head toward Grayson, he looks impressed. “You told me something about this at the beginning of the semester. It’s a good idea. I’m sure a lot of people would be interested in it.”
“Don’t go stealing it now,” I tease.
Grayson flicks my nose. “Anything else?”
“Mhm. I know how to do a double axel.” Grayson stares at me, looking puzzled, causing me to scoff.
“Men.” I roll my eyes and explain. “It’s an ice-skating move.
I took lessons when I was younger because I loved the idea of being a professional ice skater.
Then I got bored. That happened a lot when I was a kid, except when it came to books. ”
A gust of wind blows through our hair, and Grayson quickly wraps a blanket around us. It’s not a cold night, just a little chilly, but sitting still makes it feel colder than usual.
“Oh, okay, I thought of one more.” Grayson motions for me to continue. “I got into Yale, Harvard, and Princeton, but not Cornell for some reason.” Shrugging, I look down from the sky and sigh happily. “That was fun. Now it’s your turn.”
I’m met with silence, and after picking up my flute again, I turn my head toward Grayson, whose eyes are as big as saucers.
“What?”
“You got into three of the biggest Ivy Leagues in the country and decided on Driscoll University?”
Does he not know how good a university Driscoll is? “I thought you’d be more impressed with the double axel. It’s really hard to do.”
“Emma…”
“Driscoll is ranked as one of the most prestigious universities in the country. Some may even say it’s better than an Ivy League.”
“I don’t know about th—”
“It’s also where my parents met,” I mumble.
Drinking the rest of my cider, I tilt my head back, waiting for Grayson’s follow-up question.
“Your parents went to Driscoll?”
I smile to myself. “My mom did for her bachelor’s, and my dad for his master’s. They met in her junior year, and the rest is history.”
“Wow,” is the only word that he manages to form.
Twisting to my left, I tug the pillows down and lie on my right side with both hands tucked under my cheek. I poke Grayson’s leg and pat the spot next to me.
His lips quirk up, and he takes the same position I’m in, but faces me.
Once he’s settled in, I tell him, “It’s your turn.” Grayson quickly tilts his head to look up at the sky, just like I was. “And make them good. Remember that I’ve researched everything I can about you.”